Mergers & Acquisitions names the 2022 Most Influential Women in Mid-Market M&A, including Sullivan & Cromwell’s Rita-Anne O’Neill.

How are you a champion of diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI)?

I serve as co-chair of the American Bar Association’s Women in M&A Subcommittee, which was formed to promote the recruiting, retention and promotion of women lawyers in M&A by educating women law school students about the profession, increasing awareness at law firms of gender bias, promoting networking and providing business development forums and tools.

In 2016, along with my colleague Jennifer Muller of Houlihan Lokey, I co-founded a national Women in M&A Network (WiMA). The initiative has continued to grow and brings together senior women from the legal and business worlds of M&A with the purpose of driving business generation.

How did you further your firm’s ESG goals?

I am an active member of the firm’s ESG practice and regularly advise clients and their boards of directors on ESG developments and their impact on corporate policy and strategy.

I also further the firm’s ESG initiatives through pro bono work. Efforts include representing: The Valor Academy, a charter school in North Hollywood, California; Dollies Making A Difference, a non-profit organization that sews dolls for children in areas affected by disaster, in corporate and tax matters; and The Rescue Team, an organization that assists shelter and stray animals, in corporate and tax matters.